2 B
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23. 1963
Economic Backbone of Oregon Feted
The fiber which is the econo
mic backbone of Oregon is be
ing feted during National For
est Products week, Oct. 20-26,
say the Oregon Committee of
American Forest Products In
dustries, Inc.
Today there are some 10,000
products made of wood. The
manufacturing of these products
now account for some 50 per
cent of the jobs and 54 per cent
of the payroll of Oregon's
manufacturing industry.
Oregon's economy literally
stands on wooden legs.
Since the early pioneer days
of the Oregon Territory, wood
and wood products have served
as major factors in the develop
ment and growth of the state.
However, the scene is an ever
changing one as science and
technology find new keys to
uses of the magic fibers which
come from our surrounding
forests.
Reducing Pills
In this day of space explora
tion, wood is finding its way
into nosecones of missiles. As
our figures grow around the
waist and the scales read
higher, men and women add to
Ihe consumption of wood by
reaching for their reducing
pills. Wood pulp is a basic in
gredient of several popular re
ducing pills. The loss of appe
tite is brought about by the
expansion of the pulp in your
stomach.
Milady's fineries are often
found to be wood as wood pulp
is dissolved and scientifically
spun into rayon.
Newspapers are obvious wood
products in their familiar form.
However, less obvious are ci
garette filters and cellophane
wrappers. Another even more
obscure use of the magic fiber
is its transformation into plas
tics. Wood by-products are ba
sic components of the plastic in
your telephone.
Other Wood Products
Wood products and by-products
are found all around us to
day. Quite often the presence
of wood is not recognizable, but
it is generally there. As men
tioned above, plastics have
wood in them so do such
items as lacquers, photographic
film and disinfectants.
For that matter, wood pro
duces acetic acid which goes
into perfumes; baking yeast
used by the baking industry; bu
tadiene which is used in syn
thetic tires; carbonic acid used
in industrial chemicals; ethyl
alcohol used in solvents; cattle
feed and chicken feed; glycer
ine used in medicines and in
dustrial chemicals; sugars used
in stock feed and ethanol. The
list of products made from
wood and wood distillation and
hydrolysis is endless and these
mentioned here are but a very
few.
The committee points out that
wood is making our life more
comfortable, is he'"ing stretch
our buying power and helping
raise our standards of living.
National Forest Products week
gives us all an opportunity to
give this great natural resource
a little thought.
Oregon has provided wood
to the nation and will continue
to do so so long as man lives
on this earth. Sound forest man
agement is assuring the perpet
ual supply of an abundant
amount of timber to fill man's
needs, the committee adds.
Imports Helped To Mold
Lives of Ancient Chinese
and many were the wealthy Chi
nese who took instruction from
some "barbarian" in the art of
mastering a foreign instrument.
Porcelain Horses
The Tang dynasty is noted
for the magnificent procclain
horses created by its artisans.
But little known is that fact that
important as horses were,
mostly for purposes of war, the
finest steeds came from other
lands.
It was not uncommon, says
Schafer, for a vassal state to
send the emperor thousands of
horses. Merchants often brought
whole herds (o sell and the Chi
nese snapped them up.
From the west came Arabian
chargers and from the north,
lough, long-winded plains ponies
"loved and admired."
Maps and books on science
from western nations, metal
armor and precious jewels, silks
and textiles, drugs and fancy
foods all found their way into
China and helped mold the fab
ric of life during T ang.
Itv JAMKS J. IIKAI.V
SAN FRANCISCO (IJPI)
When scholars and sinologists
refer to the glories of ancient
China chances are they mean
the more than three centuries of '
Ihe T'ang dynasty, from about
(103 to (117 A D.
The men of T'ang (pronounc
ed Tong) gave the world fine
porcelain, its first block print
ing, paper and gun powder.
A little known trulh of the
"Glory of T'ang" was the ex
tent of importing done during
that era, either by camel train
from the north and west or by
huge junks which plied the
oceans lo such far away places
as Africa.
Sinologist Kdward II Schafer
recently brought to light in a
volume published by the Univer
sity of California Press the
thirst for exotics during the
time of T'ang.
Titled the "Golden Peaches of
Samarkand," Schafer's work at
tempts to explain the natural de
sire for objects from "enchanted
lands." In this, he says, the
Chinese of the period were lit
tle different than Americans of
today with Iheir purchases of
cameras from Germany and
Japan, autos from Kngland, fur
niture from Denmark and per
fumes from France.
Were Tributes
T r e e s bearing the "Golden
Peaches'' were sent to the Chi
nese court as a tribute fro m
the Iranian city - state of Sa
markand. Schafer said he titled
his book from thorn "because
Ihe peaches symlxly.e all the
exotic things longed for ... by
Ihe people of Ihe T'ang empire."
Other tribute often took more
lnarre forms, such as the two
albino troglodytes sent by Cam
bodia, or the heavily bearded
Aiiuis brought to the "Middle
Kingdom" from Japan.
Hut along with those ambas
sadors w h o brought tributes
fame merchants from far lands
i all considered barbarians by
t h e Chinese) whose caravans
carried spices and aromatic
woods, brocades and small, rare
animals, richly plumed birds for
the pleasure of Ihe private citi
zens, books and metals
Other things brought to
Cbang'an, the capital city of
T'ang, were intangibles, such as
music.
Imported "western" m u s i c
was greatly favored during
T'ang. according lo Schafer,
LOGGING
Requires Modern Machines
Clay's logging Co. uses a Caterpillar 955 Traxcavator for loading logs on the
landing. Although some of the biggest logs have to be "one-ended" the landing
is kept clear and trucks loaded out fast. The 955 will easily pull trucks or do
other jobs quickly wtihout loss of time.
FRONT END LOADERS CUT COSTS - PLUS
-the Caterpillar loader moves to a new landing fast
and is readv to work immediately.
-sorting over a wide area is easy with the Caterpillar
loader and it will help to prepare the landing.
-trucks can be towed and countless other odd jobs
around the landing can be done with the Caterpillar
loader while your other tractors are doing more Im
portant work.
-the Caterpillar loader costs less to buy, costs less to
operate and costs less to maintain than shovel-type
loaders.
YOUR CATERPILLAR DEALER
CRATER LAKE MACHINERY CO.
Redmond, Oregon Medford, Oregon Klamfah Falls, Oregon
Caterpillar, Cat and Traxcavaior are Registered Trademarks of Caterpillar Tr.icicr Co.
REMODEL YOUR KITCHEN?
See Our Complete
Display of Beautiful
MODEL KITCHENS
Featuring Lovely, Natural Finish
HARDWOOD CABINETS
By ySfadlfnt,
Available in a wnle range of sues and finishes, competitive ly
pr iced (or emetic ting cr new construe' ion.
THE KITCHEN CENTER, Division of...
FREE PLANNING EASY TERMS
SMITH LUMBER CO.
Corner of 8th and Fir Streets
Phone 772-7166
Distributors of
"Major Line"Cabinet$
and Kelvinator
Built-in Appliances